1. Field of the Invention
This application relates broadly to vehicle towing systems. More particularly, it concerns systems for towing a plurality of small, handlebar steerable, four wheel vehicles, e.g., All-Terrain vehicles, longitudinally aligned behind a tractor vehicle, e.g., an automobile, van, truck, 4-wheel drive, or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
All-Terrain vehicles (ATVs) have become ubiquitous for a wide variety of uses, e.g., cattle herding, acreage maintenance, transport over mountainous terrain, competitive racing, stunt riding, travelling on sandy beaches, etc. However, ATVs are not suitable, nor usually licensed, for travel on major highways or other paved public roads, but they are frequently garaged or stored at locations quite distance for their point of use. Because of this and for other reasons, ofter they must be transported over long distances and this has typically been done by carrying them on a pick-up truck or towing them upon custom-built trailers.
Frequently a user will have not one, but two ATVs, for racing, land maintenance, etc. in which event transport of the pair of ATVs over public roads in the past has been generally limited to carriage on a truck or custom trailer. Hence, there has been a need for simple means by which a pair of ATVs or like small, steerable motor vehicles can be towed behind a van, truck, automobile or the like. The present invention addresses this need.
It is known to tow motorcycles, either singly or multiply, behind a towing vehicle using hitches that maintain the motorcycle(s) upright (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,672). However, these prior art hitches are not suitable for towing four wheel ATVs.
When a pair of four wheel vehicles are towed behind a tractor vehicle, one of the problems in doing so is to maintain them laterally spaced and longitudinally aligned, particularly during a turning movement, because of the tendency for them to "wander". This problem has been recognized in the provision of relatively complicated means to solve it (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,928). The present invention addressed this multiple, four wheel vehicle towing problem and provides a unique, simple system for safe towing of a plurality of ATVs or like vehicles behind a tractor vehicle.